The present invention relates generally to acoustic imaging systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to acoustic transducers for use in acoustic imaging systems.
There are a number of disadvantages associated with various imaging systems that are currently in use, particularly when used for medical applications. For example, a number of imaging techniques, such as x-ray imaging, mammography, and computed tomographic (CT) scans, use ionizing radiation that presents a risk of cell mutation when used medically. Also, CT scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques both involve procedures that are relatively expensive, a factor that by itself acts to some degree to limit their use. A significant disadvantage of methods such as mammography is that they rely on two-dimensional images that may disguise three-dimensional structure information that can be critical for diagnosis.
As an alternative to these imaging technologies, the medical community has looked to ultrasound for providing a safe, low-cost, high-resolution imaging tool. There are, however, significant limitations to conventional ultrasound, which may be used in A or B scanning modes. Such modes are distinguished by the fact that an A scan is purely one dimensional while a B scan produces a two-dimensional image. As a result, imaging applications tend to use ultrasonic B scanning. In such conventional ultrasound analysis, a small array of elements is moved by hand in contact with tissue under study. The array sends out waves that reflect from tissues back to the same array. This arrangement results in two major drawbacks. First, ultrasonic B scans do not provide information on the properties of the materials themselves; rather, they provide information only on the reflectivity of the boundaries between different types of materials. Second, the array is incapable of capturing radiation except that reflected back to the hand-held sensing array. Considerable information exists, however, in the transmitted waves, but this information is neither captured not used diagnostically in conventional ultrasonic B scans.
It is expected that improved diagnoses may result from systems that permit the collection of greater amounts of information. Factors that inhibit the development of such systems include limitations on the cost of appropriate acoustic transducers, such costs being influenced by needs for high sensitivity and small size. There is thus a general need for improved acoustic transducers that achieve such sensitivity and size, but which may be manufactured with simple processes that do not increase the cost prohibitively. Furthermore, there is a general need in the art for improved acoustic transducers that may readily be integrated into acoustic imaging systems, particularly as applied to medical applications.